The Royal College of Physicians published a Green Physician Toolkit with the aim of supporting physicians to take action on climate change. Its publication was met with a backlash in some media, including reports that implementing such recommendations could compromise patient diagnosis and impact patient health outcomes.

Researchers from King’s College London and Oxford University have conducted focus groups with the UK public around environmental sustainability and healthcare. Their findings provide a more nuanced picture than the media portrayal of public concerns, and one that aligns with the NHS’s perspective. In particular, while participants considered the environment in their day-to-day lives, and supported a greener NHS, their health came first. For them, greening healthcare meant operational changes outside of care pathways, which could lead to money saved and better services through a ‘co-benefits approach’.

Green Physicians Toolkit